


Coming to Terms

by Centeris2



Series: Poly Pile [2]
Category: Star Stable
Genre: M/M, Multi, rated teen because there is swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 21:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16206431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centeris2/pseuds/Centeris2
Summary: Justin approaches Connie to talk about Rebecca and some Need To Know information.





	Coming to Terms

It had been a few days and Connie was still reeling from Rebecca’s confession. He didn’t know how to feel, it was just a jumble of emotions. Somehow he felt betrayed, and depressed, and possessive, and so many things. He found himself sitting around, part moping and part fuming, trying to sort out his thoughts. 

“Hello!” Connie jerked up, looking up at Justin. Justin was awfully smiley.

“What do you want?” Connie grumbled. All his interactions with Justin had not been good. First the angry jealousy incident where Rebecca trusted Justin with secrets she didn’t trust Connie with, and the whole scarred hands thing that terrified Connie. The second, and final, time was Rebecca’s confession that she was polyamorous. 

“I thought I’d get to know you,” Justin explained, hopping off his horse and sitting next to Connie.

“Not interested,” Connie scowled.

“It would mean a lot to Rebecca if she didn’t lose your friendship over her orientation,” Justin got to the point. Well, one of the reasons he was there. He was genuinely interested in trying to befriend Connie after the rough start.

“She…” Connie stopped and sighed, not sure what to say, “how am I supposed to be her friend if she hides so much of herself? Friends trust each other.”

“See, that’s the thing I’ve noticed about Rebecca,” Justin said, leaning back and getting comfortable, “she is very protective of her friends, and she hates keeping secrets. But a lot of things have happened to her since she came to Jorvik at the start of the summer. She’s coming to terms with her entire world changing.”

“See, what the fuck is that even supposed to mean? I have no idea what you are talking about!” Connie complained, Justin not making him feel any better.

“She’s afraid. She’s afraid for you and for herself, that’s why she’s keeping secrets. But! If I tell you what is going on then she can’t get in trouble with the druids because it is my fault, not hers. Then she doesn’t have to be afraid of getting into trouble!” Justin did a slightly better job at explaining this time.

“The druids?” Connie asked after a moment of processing the information.

“What do you know about The Keepers of Aideen?” Justin asked.

“Aren’t they like, hippies that live in the woods over there?” Connie nodded toward the Hollow Woods. Justin snickered but nodded.

“Something like that. They want people to think that anyway. Do you believe in magic?” 

“Like, stage magic? What does that have to do with the druids?” Connie once more was totally lost.

“Magic is real. The Keepers, or druids, they’re magic, and they got Rebecca involved in their war with Dark Core,” Justin explained.

“War? Dark Core? What?”

“Okay, so, this’ll uh, time for a Justin Moorland history lesson,” Justin said and took a deep breath before continuing, “so my grandmother on my father’s side is the Baroness of Silverglade. The man she married turned out to be Mr. Sands, the owner of Dark Core. He also turned out to be some… ugh. He worships a being named Garnok, trying to control Garnok to get unlimited energy to rule the world. The druids have been in a battle with Garnok since forever because Garnok’s energy can’t be controlled, so if Dark Core and my grandfather manage to get to Garnok the world will explode or something. I’m not sure of the details, I just know it’s the end of the world if Garnok’s energy gets released. Probably like a supernova happening on the earth, it’s not going to be good.”

Connie stared at Justin for a few silent moments.

“What the fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy, right? And the druids have put Rebecca on the front line because she’s like, basically one of the only people they have that can fight, I guess? If you know the legend of the Soul Riders, they’re allied with the druids, but Dark Core had, err has, kidnapped most of them so the druids were a bit desperate. Rebecca comes along and, well, druids recruited her to stop the world from ending. And getting the Soul Riders back.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Connie asked after a moment.

“You’ve seen her hands,” Justin said flatly.

“Uh, yeah?”

“Yeah. That was because she went on a mission for the druids and got captured and tortured by Dark Core for eight days before she managed to escape. She has magic, she literally melted her chains, that’s what the scars are from. The druids were able to heal the damage, but not everything. So she can still use her hands, she still has feeling, but, well… you’ve seen them.”

“But if the druids can heal burning from molten steel… couldn’t they remove the scars?” Connie pointed out, Justin’s face going blank as he realized Connie was right.

“Ugh, those shits,” Justin grumbled, crossing his arms, “Rebecca is so afraid of the druids because she’s on super thin ice with them, and frankly they’re terrifying. They can control your mind, so even if you don’t want to do something they can make you do it. All while making it feel like it was your fault that something went wrong when they didn’t give you all the details.”

“Sounds like they did that to you,” Connie noted the personal and bitter tone in Justin’s voice.

“Yeah. If someone had told me about my grandfather I wouldn’t have joined him, but no, just leave it a mystery and then arrest me for wanting to meet my grandfather who I knew nothing about! Nevermind that Dark Core brainwashed me, the druids don’t trust me because maybe they didn’t really brainwash me,” Justin complained with a scowl.

“Anyway, that’s why Rebecca is trying to keep you away. She doesn’t trust the druids, and frankly neither do I. Between the druids and Dark Core I’m surprised she’s not a paranoid wreck,” Justin explained with a strained smile, trying to make a joke.

“Would the druids actually do something to her? Or to me to get to her?” Connie asked, concerned now. Justin swallowed hard, going pale.

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead as he thought about what happened in that prison cell. 

“So, maybe I should stay away from her,” Connie muttered, now worried he might be used to hurt Rebecca.

“That’s up to you. I think she would appreciate not losing you though. And you’re normal, she doesn’t have to think about saving the world when she’s around you,” Justin advised.

“She’d never forgive herself if something happened to me because I was friends with her,” Connie acknowledged and Justin nodded. 

“It’s something to think about,” Justin said, giving a moment of silence before adding, “you ARE normal, right? Not a celebrity or magical wizard or something?”

That made Connie laugh.

“I’m just a normal human, last I checked!” Connie reassured Justin, finally able to relax. 

Turns out Justin wasn’t so bad, he was just stressed and terrified, like Rebecca was. And if Connie could be a break from the stress and a return to normal for Rebecca, and for Justin, then he’d do it.

When Justin left he had given Connie Tor’s phone number, saying they should get to know each other as well.


End file.
